Breakfast
This morning I was out of green monster ingredients, so I had to scrounge up a quick breakfast.
Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal with the addition of pumpkin seeds and raisins. Bob makes some good products!
At the gym, I did the random program on the elliptical for 60 minutes at level 13. Today was a recovery considering that yesterday morning I did high intensity interval training on the treadmill. Plus, I went to Group Power in the evening.
Lunch
Today was definitely a day of eating on the fly! I didn’t pack a lunch, so during my lunch break, I ran to a close by grocery store and picked up some super random stuff.
Yoplait yogurt, Naked Superfood, and an Anjou pear
I had never purchased a Naked drink before. Probably because they are steeply priced. This Green Machine flavor was just over $3 a bottle, and some of the protein drinks were selling for $4! Is that expensive, or am I just a cheapskate?
Anyway, the drink tasted wonderful, and I’d like to try other flavors, but I probably wouldn’t consume it as a part of my lunch often. Although it is packed with nutrients, there are a whopping 56 grams of sugar in one 15.2 oz. bottle. It comes from 100% fruit juice, and none of the sugar is added. But still, that is a massive amount of sugar to be eating (or drinking, rather) in the middle of the day, especially considering that the drink contains 0 grams of fiber.
I get incredibly sleepy after eating sweets, so I try to consume things that are heavy on the sugar after dinner.
Dinner
As soon as I walked in the door to my apartment after work, I was hungry, and it was only 4:00! Luckily, I knew that I had some leftover soba noodles in my fridge. As my belly rumbled, I knew that I needed to produce a meal stat. I looked in my fridge, dug in my cupboards, and found this.
Which coupled with the soba noodles, created this.
I sprinkled chia seeds on top and added fresh basil.
I packed up another serving of this impromptu spaghetti for tomorrow’s lunch.
Most creative meal that you’ve seen on a food blog to date, no?
I’d also been itching to make some kale chips, so I figured that there was no better night than tonight, since my main course was lacking in imagination (but not in taste, I might add).
Kale Chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil.
- Wash kale. Remove the leaves from the stem and place them on the cookie sheet.
3. Sprinkle kale with desired seasoning. (I used Tone’s Southwest Seasoning, of course!)
4. Bake until the edges are brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Voila! They condense into a crispy leaves of goodness. After popping one into my mouth, I realized that unlike fresh kale, kale chips are not bitter. I can’t believe I haven’t made these before!
I topped the meal off with my last slice of gingerbread cake.
I have scarfed this thing down all by myself in less than a week!
Speaking of cake, here is the icing recipe that I promised.
Vanilla Icing
Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 stick butter (softened)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 TBSP milk (I used vanilla soymilk)
Directions:
Stir powdered sugar and butter together. Add vanilla and milk, and combine with a fork until the mixture is thick and all powdered sugar is dissolved. Makes about the same as a pre-packaged frosting tub (frosts one cake).
Can you believe that I’d never made frosting before? It was so easy! And the taste was definitely a step above the pre-packaged version as it tasted much fresher! And guess what? This recipe is trans fat free! Did you know that the store bought version usually contains trans fat?
I’ve officially determined that homemade is the way to go when it comes to icing!
Do you usually make your own icing? Or do you buy the tub?
***
Question: I’m spending the weekend at my parents’ house. This means that I will have access to a juicer! Anyone have a great recipe for a first time juice?
I love kale chips.
I had tried the Naked Juice Green Machine and liked it until I looked at the sugar content and was amazed as how much sugar it contains
I love kale chips, but I can’t find kale around here….boo hoo hoo! Have you tried drizzling maple syrup and balsamic vinegar on top? heaven!
Thanks for the sweet comment! I love kale chips – just need to start making them myself!
Oh my gosh! Gingerbread cake? Yes please! I usually make my own frosting. It is so much better than store bought!
I love the idea of pumpkin seeds on oatmeal! Yum!
Mmm…kale chips look so yummy! I really need to try those.
Yum, everything looks delicious! Thanks for your response about the kale chips — it was helpful to see pictures. I’m going to try making kale chips this afternoon, I’m excited!
I agree with you about the Naked Green Machine. The thing about juices is that they’re the sugars and carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, so such a high concentration is bound to be high in sugar
I usually buy buttercream frosting but make my own cream cheese frosting. I rarely use it, so I think I’m okay with that. Yours looks wonderful, though!
I saw Kale Chips on the Today Show this morning — I want to try them!
I love the green machine drink! The only downside is all of the sugars. So delicious! The kale chips look really good!
I agree about the Naked drinks. I love them, but the sugar content is aggravating.
I love using diced tomatoes on top of pasta!
my bf was in LOVE with those naked drinks…unfort for him drinking 3 bottles a day did not make MY working ass’s bank account happy. (he’s still in school so I joke)
wow those kale chips look ahmazing
I love how crunchy they are!!
great looking eats girl!! I love the yummy looking soba noodle dish you created. Looks fantastic. Im not a huge juice fan because of the high sugar content. Plus i like to chew so just personally Id rather eat my fruit=) Your kale chips look wonderful!! Have a great weekend!
I cannot get into Kale. It tastes like a garnish to me but I could have cooked it wrong. Maybe I’ll follow your lead!
Never done the kale thing before — but it sounds like kale chips may be the way to go. I’m all for any way to get more greens in; it’s something I struggle with!
I’m with you on the price of the Naked drinks. They are so tasty but dude $3-4 a pop? CRAZY!
I made juice recently that was 1 cucumber, 2 small apples, 3 small carrots, 3 stalks of celery, 2 nob of ginger and some parsley. It was good. It made roughly 30 oz so you could definitely halve the recipe.
I really enjoy your blog and appreciate the breakfast idea. I need to change up my meal. Do you have an alternative recipe for the Naked Green Machine drink? I would love to make that and work on the sugar content. THanks!
[...] Kale Chips [...]
Wow, Naked juices are only $1.79 where we are. I guess it pays to shop at a commissary. I find that a pretty good price, considering soda (which a lot of people buy every day) is around $1.59. I tend to buy The Green Machine when I have a sweet tooth, or if I know I will be somewhere (such as a meeting) that has lots of sweets and snacks. I pass on the food and drink my Green Machine. Several of my friends once made fun of me for drinking it, until I made them try it. I changed their minds about it, but I assume I will never see them actually buy that. They’ll pay themselves a soda instead